The Frugal Food category here at Dove's Eye View is intended to give you a few ideas for eating well in hard times.

Update: A few hours later. I do wonder if some of this appearance of shortage in the U.S. isn't a form of panic. My advice: don't panic. No need to run right out and battle other customers for rice bags at Costco.

It's simply prudent to keep a good supply of food in your pantry for a rainy day, snowy day, hurricane, power outage or sudden job loss. And growing your own food garden is a good thing to do for your health and the planet. But don't go buying fifty pound bags of rice at exorbitant prices because everybody else is. How much rice does your family eat, anyway? If rice or pasta is on sale at your market, pick up a little extra, every week for a few weeks. Add canned fruits, vegetables and beans; bottled water; powdered milk (price has indeed spiked); peanut butter and perhaps canned tuna or sardines. Now you won't starve in a blizzard.

Comments

My guess is that the same folks who drove up real estate prices and bought dot-com stocks are now speculating on food and oil. When they spot golder pastures, food prices will plummet. That's not to say that some of the food shortages aren't real. There's always a nugget of truth to these frenzies: the Internet did revolutionize business and Australia really has had a long string of bad harvests. Of course having your own garden is a lot of fun. Michael Pollan's piece along those lines in last Sunday's _Times Magazine_ was up to his usual standard of excellence.

Cookbooks

Deborah Madison: Vegetarian Cooking for EveryoneIndispensable - I use it all the time, and give it as presents to brides, young people starting out, etc. Not for vegetarians only - hence the title - a great resource for anybody wanting delicious recipes for vegetables, grains and legumes. Great sauces and salads, too.